


The Termidating Game!

by IncurablePeppermint



Category: UniKitty! (Cartoon)
Genre: Adventure, Game Shows, Gen, Halloween, Horror movie references, Mild Shipping Undertones, Mildly Unsettling, very mild horror
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-10
Updated: 2019-10-10
Packaged: 2020-12-07 19:57:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,684
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20981507
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IncurablePeppermint/pseuds/IncurablePeppermint
Summary: When Unikitty gets an invitation to be the guest of honor on a game show she's super, duper excited! Unfortunately when she gets to the set everything gets a bit spooky. And while she can't place him, the host seems a little familiar.





	The Termidating Game!

“Ooh, this is it! This is it!” Unikitty bounces up and down in the air. Her eyes shoot excitedly between a spookily themed holographic ticket in her hands and a little building that is decorated with a green neon heart and nestled snugly a few feet back in an alley. Last night a formal invitation and super sparkly ticket was slipped under her bedroom door and she's been giddy with excitement ever since. She gives the metal door a firm knock and calls inside, “Hello? Your _ star _ is here!”

A dating game show is filming today in the Unikingdom and the host Core Screeper wrote Unikitty a personal letter outlining how cool it would be for the princess to appear as a contestant. How exciting! And according to his flattering letter she doesn’t even have to  _ actually _ date anyone, she just has to ask the potential dates questions. So, she'll be like a romance journalist! Asking the hard hitting love questions. Unikitty is really excited to be doing this today instead of her chores. She maybe didn’t tell Richard where she was going, because he would want her to clean her room and file the kingdom taxes first, but she’s sure he’ll understand. Stardom calls.

A distinct screeching noise comes from inside the building. Unikitty recognizes it instantly as bats because of her multiple visits to Batman’s bat wildlife sanctuary. She pulls her hand back for a moment, confused and alarmed. “Come in, come in! We’ve been waiting for you! We can’t wait to see what a princess can do,” a voice calls from inside, reassuring Unikitty just in time for her not to turn around and make a mad dash for home. Maybe the noises were just some kind of television sound machine that got knocked around. Yeah, that sounds right. It's so close to Halloween, they must be readying things for when they film a spooky special!

She fans herself with her ticket and grins. “Well, I mean. I’m sure I’ll be  _ okay _ . It’s not like I’ll be the best and most royal special guest you’ve ever had or anything.” Unikitty enters the studio, moving forward as if she’s trying to show off an invisible feather boa. The studio is barely lit. Obviously because the show hasn’t started yet, she convinces herself. Lights cost money to run, as Richard keeps reminding her. Her ticket poofs out of her hand, the door behind her suddenly slams, and the lock clicks. She turns back for just a moment, but shakes her head. 

She’s never been on a game show set before. Not unless "Game Show the Board Game (Show)" counts. This is probably pretty normal. Just theatrics to get her nervous so she's giggly on camera! Unikitty squints down at the stage. She can tell that the set is segmented into two main sections, one much longer than the other. These two are totally cut off from each other by a tall wall, so that only the audience can see both sides. The longer side is further divided into three subsections by very short walls that only go part way through the stage, not blocking much of anything.

Quite suddenly, a pretty pink spotlight clicks on in the smaller section. Unikitty is instantly taken by the light and starts floating down towards it, passing by the audience she can't quite make out yet. Her section of the stage is decorated with blue horns and white flowers. Above a purple bean bag chair is a sign that reads, "Princess Unikitty."

“That’s right, Princess, come on down! Step right up and stick around! Were you drawn in by the glittering limelight? Are you here hunting for Mr. Right?” As Unikitty reaches the chair she sits down and sinks in. A cozy sigh escapes her. An upbeat theme-song begins to play. “Be you here for love or for fame, it’s time to play the  _ Termidating Game _ !” The lights flick on throughout the studio, illuminating both the stage and crowd.

Unikitty tries to take stock of the audience, but finds that they’re all cardboard cut-outs with characters drawn on front. Despite this, they move side to side while “clapping.” The images on the front of each cut-out change from hands together to apart until the crowd settles down. Unikitty grimaces at the faux audience, off put by their uncanny nature.

The host emerges from just off stage. He’s wearing a suit jacket and his lower half is simply composed of a green wisp. Unikitty can’t quite make out his head because of the hood he is wearing, but his mouth and eyes glow bright enough to stick out in the shadows. He holds a mic in one hand and gestures towards her with a wink to the crowd. 

“Welcome all! I’m your host, Score Creeper! Let’s see if Princess Unikitty can land herself a keeper!”

Unikitty squints at him while the crowd erupts into clapter once more. He comes up next to her and offers a hand to shake, which she takes. “Your letter said your name was Core Screeper.” She says it like a question. Score Creeper looks down at her with a wide grin. 

“There must’ve been some typos,” he whispers, holding his microphone away from his face. “You don’t recognize me, Princess?”

“No, I haven’t seen any of your shows. Sorry.”

He laughs, just a little maniacally. “Well that’s fine, Unikitty. I’m still more than happy to have you as a guest. And I’m sure our other guests will appreciate you deciding just how they get terminated!”

“Termidated.”   
“Yes, that.”

He turns back towards the audience and moves forward. “Now let’s move on to our mystery dates!” Unikitty hears another spotlight click on. She turns to check it out, but is blocked by the big wall that cuts her off from the rest of the stage. All she can see is that the spotlight is a bright, sunny yellow. “First up is a nuisance from Frown Town that makes all the  _ real _ Doom Lords irate!”

“Hey! First of all, I don’t even  _ want _ to win a date with Unikitty. Secondly, I’m a real Doomlord,” a voice on the other side of the wall whines. It sounds distorted, but familiar to Unikitty. “And why do I sound like this? What the heck, man!”

“As you loyal fans know, we give our mystery contestants nicknames for the sake of mystery,” Score Creeper begins, making the crowd cheer, “So for the duration of the program I introduce you to Lord Bingleberry!”

“B-_Bingleberry_! No way, that’s not my name! I’m,” before the contestant can finish his protest, a clicking noise from under the stage interrupts him. Unikitty hears the crackling of electricity and a wobbling scream. “Lord Bingleberry! That’s fine, yeah!  _ Don’t do that again _ .” She cocks her head, a little confused about the noises, but unsure what they were.

“Lord Bingleberry enjoys rainy days, cookies, and not replacing the toilet paper. Will he win over the Princess or can he escape her?” The audience whistles and hoots at this. “Unikitty?”

Unikitty sets aside her confusion and sits up straight in her chair. The cameras all pan over towards her. “I think Lord Bingleberry sounds... Feisty! I do like a little spice in my life.” She offers the cameras a playful wink.

The audience goes nuts for this, applauding and cheering. A few of them blow stiff kisses at the stage. Unikitty has to work very hard not to grimace at the strange display. 

"What a cheeky one, our dear Unikitty! Now for mystery contestant two, head of the local science committee!"

Unikitty has to tilt her head and squint to see the next spotlight as it clicks to life. A fiery orange takes over center stage."Unikitty," a strangely modulated and very high pitched voice calls, "Did Score Creeper capture you too? Wait, is that? No! Not  _ corn _ ! I'll do anything you ask, just not the corn!"

Unikitty snorts a little at this. She thinks she's figured it out, finally. This must be a  _ surprise _ Halloween special! Whoever she picks is going to be dressed up as a ghoul or a ghostie to spook her! That's why the crowd is creepy, her invite was eerie, and the welcome was weird!

"This contestant goes by Professor Mallow! Her hobbies are inventing, explosives, and planning the demise of all known cellos."

"They're just worse violins," the high pitched voice pipes in.

"I can get behind that," Lord Bingleberry agrees.

"Now, now, you two. Let's not get along. For our game show to work, the competition must be strong!" Another click, and Unikitty can't see over the top of her wall enough to catch sight of the spotlight color. She huffs, then gets an idea. After a quick check for where the cameras are pointing, she starts floating up for a harmless little peek. "Speaking of, here's our next contestant now! A buzzing babe with floral know-how!"

Unikitty catches just a glimpse of a second yellow light before her beanbag sprouts blocky arms that almost violently grab her. Her chair pins her down tight into a seated position. If bean bags weren't so comfortable she'd lodge a complaint.

A modulated but still deeply southern voice speaks up, "Well hello! Are you another of my dream demons? Been gettin' a lotta those lately."

Score Creeper coughs awkwardly, but continues his introduction. "No. Our confused contestant here is Fuzzbuzz. Her hobby is gardening and that is all she does!"

"'Far as you know, demon," Fuzzbuzz replies with a giggle.

"Yes, well. Now that all of our contestants have been introduced, let's find out if Unikitty is successfully seduced! Princess Unikitty, if you please, ask a question you have to one of these... Threes!" 

Unikitty taps her chin, wanting to seem thoughtful. In reality she wrote up a list of questions overnight and memorized them. Her tapping knocks something ingenious out of her brain, though. She grins. If this is a Halloween spooktacular, then she should ask Halloween questions!

“I do please, Score Creeper! Professor Mallow? It seems like you have a problem with corn. But maybe that’s just regular, boring corn. Do you like candy corn, kettle corn, or popcorn balls?”

Professor Mallow answers between her clattering teeth, “I-If I have to choose... Then I’ll take the candy corn. The only real corn in that has been reduced to harmless, sugary syrup.”

“Syrup or not, the corn is still present. Let’s see if you really find candy corn pleasant,” Score Creeper taunts.

Machinery whirs and grinds together above the stage but Unikitty cannot see it. She hears a noise like grains of sand hitting concrete. “No! No! This is too many! I’ll get cavities,” Professor Mallow protests. She gurgles after a bit of this, then coughs and spits. “O-Or drown!”

Lord Bingleberry utters a simple, “Whoa, sick.”

“Alright, Unikitty. That’s question number one! Do you have a new question to ask someone?”

“Of course,” Unikitty says, excitedly. She already can’t wait to see this episode when it airs. She needs to know what kind of weird, cool effects they’ve been doing on just the other side of the wall. “Fuzzbuzz! Your hobby is gardening and I love, love, love flowers! I’m wondering if you have any particularly interesting or dangerous plants in your care?”

Fuzzbuzz hums in thought and even that has a tinge of twang to it. “Well... I suppose if we’re being candid here.. I have something called a ‘Disaster Oil’ plant and the seeds aren’t good for you. But it’s got real pretty little spikeballs on it!”

“Ooh! That sounds neat! I’ll have to come see it sometime!”

Fuzzbuzz giggles in response to Unikitty’s excitement. Unfortunately, Score Creeper is ready with a threatening rhyme. “You came into the game thinking things were dreamlike. I’ll turn your dream into a nightmare with your own disaster spikes!” The mechanical whirring starts up again and is quickly followed by a blaring fan that only runs for a few moments. Fuzzbuzz screeches and the other two contestants yell in surprise. The audience absolutely loses it, cheering and laughing in their horrible stilted way.

“You  _ are _ a sleep demon! And a  _ mean _ one at that! I’ll curse you! I have the herbs! I have the petals!”

Unikitty furrows her brow and eyes the wall beside her. Whatever kind of show is happening on the other side the noises are starting to unnerve her. It sounds too real, too weird, too horrifying. She gives off an involuntary nervous laugh and struggles a little against her bean bag. The chair holds her tighter, threatening to suffocate her. 

“Just wait, Princess. Don’t try to leave now. Escape is something I cannot allow.” Score Creeper floats over so that he’s only inches from Unikitty’s face and growls softly, “Ask your question.” He then goes back to maintaining his stage presence like a typical host. Unikitty shivers. 

“I... Guess that means it’s time for me to ask you a question, Lord Bingleberry.”

“Pass.”

“Such a kidder! A feisty jokester like you must love pranks, right? What’s your favorite prank to pull?”

“I hide eggs so they go rotten. Then everything smells bad.”

“Wow! So it’s like a stinky, stinky scavenger hunt!”

The mechanical whirring starts up again. Loud, somehow menacing clucking echoes through the studio. “Lord Bingleberry loves bad pranks that smell. Let’s see how he likes it when he stinks as well!” Unikitty hears another cluck followed by a wet cracking noise. Lord Bingleberry laughs.

“Jokes on you, Creep. I don’t have a sense of smell.” Immediately after he says this, Lord Bingleberry lets out a series of shocked and confused screams. Then Unikitty can hear moist struggling and more cracking sounds. “Oh, gross. Did you give me a nose? What the heck, man,” Lord Bingleberry complains, sounding much more nasally now. “What gives you the right to give a man a  _ nose _ ?”

That doesn’t sound particularly serious. Unikitty breathes a sigh of relief but scrunches her nose when she gets a big whiff of rotten egg and candy corn. The crowd laughs. Some members of the audience “throw” popcorn towards the stage. Really, the images on the cutouts change from hand in a bag to hand out of the bag and a popped piece of popcorn appears soaring through the air at the stage.

"Alright, Unikitty, that's the end of stage one! Stage two is where we all start having some real fun! For the first half of the game you asked just one of our guests, for the second half all of our guests are addressed!" Score Creeper chuckles. "So what will it be, Unikitty, dear? What question have you for these romantic peers?"

Unikitty pauses, pretending to be deep in thought. "I want to know that I'm protected, since I have to be here to rule Unikingdom! If we were in a horror movie, what would you do to keep me safe?"

Fuzzbuzz makes an uncomfortable sounding cough, but then answers. "I'd be ready for anything. I like to be prepared! As long as it isn't a nightmare like this!"

Professor Mallow answers next, "Statistically it is easier to survive in pairs or small groups. So just being together would make it easier for us to survive such a scenario." She talks fast, her voice panicked.

"I'd trip you," Lord Bingleberry answers, brutally honest. "Every man for themselves, Princess."

"A bold one, a smart one, and just a disgrace... But let's test that out and see if it's really the case."

The crowd cheers. Then they start chanting, "Lightning round! Lightning round!" Unikitty looks around in confusion. The letter didn't say anything about a lightning round, but the crowd seems super familiar with it. Maybe she should have done some research before she showed up. She doesn't want to look silly on television! 

Just as she's starting to fret about coming off as a silly, a sound she could only describe as "sparkling" fills the air. For just a moment, everything goes dark. Then Unikitty finds herself in the middle of a spooky campground, finally free of her bean bag's grip. She can still hear the audience cheering, but she can't spot them. 

"Wow... This show must have a hu-uge budget," she says, mostly to herself. The audience laughs. She laughs a little herself and smiles.

"Unikitty," Professor Mallow calls from just out of Unikitty's view. The door to a nearby cabin opens and she emerges from it. It's Dr. fox! She's shaking candy corn out of her pants leg. "I'm so glad to actually see you! Let's find the others and get out of here."

"Wow, Dr. Fox... I didn't know you were interested in me like this." Unikitty fans herself, playing it up for the crowd. They cheer, out of sight.

"I... Do you think I signed up for this? Don't you remember lazer tag? The Spooky Game? That 'host' is Score Creeper! He's going to try to trap us in the game show!"

"What? That's silly. This is a dating game!"

" _ Termi _ dating game. Like terminating. Like... To destroy?"

Unikitty taps her chin. That  _ would _ explain the strange phenomena going on onstage. But it would also mean she hasn't actually gotten her big break into stardom. Boo. She sighs in defeat and slumps over.

"Okay, I  _ guess _ you're right. Who were the other contestants?"

"We're looking for Feebee and Master Frown. Or just Feebee, your choice."

"Well, he's a big meanie, but we still shouldn't leave him here. Plus I want to see him with a nose."

"Oh it's hilarious. If I wasn't drowning in candy corn when it popped up on his face I certainly would've been laughing."

Unikitty snorts, then starts looking around the place for any hint of "Lord Bingleberry" or "Fuzzbuzz". Knowing that the campground  _ isn't _ a fun television set made of prop foam makes it very creepy, though. The cobwebs, the broken glass, the loose hanging doors, and the barely moonlit darkness are all taking their toll. Unikitty shivers.

"Dr. Fox?"

"What is it?"

"Remind me how we beat Score Creeper before."

"Well, if I remember correctly... You and Puppycorn agreed to win the board game  _ together _ , making him the loser."

"That must be why he wrote that I didn't have to pick anyone in my letter! If no one ends up on a date, then we all lose. I think."

"That makes sense, yeah! And when we did laser tag we made him  _ lose _ his business by rating him poorly."

"So how do we make him lose this game?"

"By my calculations there are two obvious routes. First, you could agree to go on a date with all three contestants. However, that would require Master Frown to go along with our plan."

"I'm sure he would! He wants to get out of here too, right?"

"Maybe. But our second option is to be so boring that the audience leaves."

"Oh. I don't know if I can do that. I just have a naturally magnetic personality!"

"It's true, that's your greatest weakness."

"Then I guess we just have to find the others and convince them!"

Dr. Fox nods, then puts an arm protectively in front of Unikitty and uses her free hand to put a finger in front of her own mouth to shush the princess. “I hear something, listen close.” Unikitty does as instructed. The distinct sound of shoes on wooden floorboards fills the air. The footsteps are slow, meditative, menacing. “Come on, we should go.” Dr. Fox motions for Unikitty to follow her in the opposite direction of the noise.

“What if it’s one of the others?”

“Something tells me that it isn’t.”

Unikitty looks back, unsure, but nods. The two of them creep between cabins, trees, and abandoned kayaks to get away. There is an unsettling number of abandoned kayaks. As they go further into the campground the footsteps fade and a different, less threatening sound comes to Unikitty’s ears. “Do you hear that, Dr. Fox,” she asks, floating around in a slow circle to try to track the noise. It sounds muffled, like someone buried in blankets or plush toys. 

“I do. That’s probably one of the others. Can you tell where it’s coming from?”

“I think... It’s... This way!” Unikitty's ears wiggle towards her left before she hurries off in that direction. Occasionally she peeks behind her to make sure Dr. Fox keeps pace. She stops in front of a building labelled "locker room" and presses an ear to the door. "It's coming from in here."

Dr. Fox nods and slowly, silently opens the door. It's dark inside, unlit. Despite this, Unikitty can pretty clearly make out four rows of tan lockers, including one set against the wall. She can't tell exactly where the muffled struggling sounds are coming from, other than vaguely further inside. 

Dr. Fox takes a deep breath and steps in. "Stay close. Getting separated is how disaster strikes in these movies," she explains. Unikitty floats above her, trying to get a better view of the place. On the wall with lockers set against it, she spots a light switch. Lucky break!

"Just a second!" Unikitty zips over and flips the lights on, happy to have made herself so useful. There is a fluorescent buzz above them. Then a few clicks and suddenly a bunch of  _ something _ drops from the ceiling.

Dr. Fox and Unikitty scream. The voice struggles louder in response. Unikitty fights off whatever ceiling creatures are after her with gusto, eyes closed and arms flailing. "I'll save you Dr. Fox! Don't you worry! I can do this!" The unseeable crowd laughs. She stabs out with her horn and hears fabric rip.

"Unikitty, wait! It's just camp counsellor uniforms." Unikitty opens her eyes, then shakes the shirt impaled on her horn off to the side. Sure enough, they're only surrounded by hanging work wear. "What a strange way to display these uniforms. They dropped almost like... Mining gear."

Unikitty passes through a few of the outfits to get to Dr. Fox. "Well... If they weren't just uniforms I totally would've saved you." She floats up to look around again and notices that some hanging uniforms are moving a lot more than others. "I think I found them! Behind the second row of lockers!"

The two of them rush over and find Feebee stuck  _ in _ one of the uniforms, hanging alongside the others. She has a bandana tied around her mouth, keeping her from talking. Dr. Fox messes with her watch, then shoots a tiny laser out of it that cuts through the elastic material suspending Feebee from the ceiling. Unikitty dashes in so that Feebee lands safely on her back.

Now free, Feebee immediately removes the bandana and takes a deep breath. "Wowee! You guys aren't usually in my nightmares." She steps off of Unikitty's back and stretches. Then she checks her joints.

Dr. Fox shakes her head, "Good to see you in one piece again, Feebee. But I'm sorry to tell you that this is no nightmare. Score Creeper is a real, magical meanie." Feebee seems to mull this over for a moment, then punches a locker. She dents the door so much that it falls off of the hinges and clatters to the tile floor. Unikitty, Dr. Fox, and the crowd all gasp at this sudden development.

"If it's not a nightmare then I can kick that host's behind for breaking all my blocks off."

"We do have a less violent strategy in place, but I suppose that  _ could  _ work," Dr. Fox muses.

Unikitty shakes her head. She comes up to Feebee and puts a paw on her shoulder. “No, if what Dr. Fox told me is right... We have to beat Score Creeper at his own game.” Feebee sighs, but gives her a reluctant nod of agreement.

“I suppose. You do come up with all the kingdom’s gadgets and doo-hickeys, Dr. Fox. What was your plan?”

“Whenever we’ve faced off against this creep before we’ve had to make sure that  _ he _ lost. In the case of a low stakes romance game show our best bet is for Unikitty to ask all of us on a date and for us all to agree.”

“Oh my! Cheeky! But how does that mean he loses?”

“The elimination of a traditional losing party will make him the loser by default. The stakes that he as a host needs to ramp up are suddenly for nought.”

Feebee nods slowly. “I dunno what you mean, but it sounds smart, so I guess I’ll go along with it.”

“That’s usually what I do, too,” Unikitty admits. She tugs idly at one of the hanging uniforms. “We still need to find Master Frown, though.” As if on queue, a nasally scream rings out from somewhere outside the locker room. Unikitty gasps. "That must be him! It sounds like it's coming from the lake!"

The three of them carefully maneuver through the maze of lockers and cotton-blend shorts to escape out into the open. Obviously waiting for them is a motorboat that is in much better shape than the plethora of kayaks abandoned nearby. It's still dusty, rusty, and suspicious, though. Unikitty hesitates for a moment before a splash and a gurgled cry for help send her into action.

She steps into the boat and grabs the handle of the recoil start with her mouth. She mutters and urgent, "Get in," through her mouthful of dirty plastic. While Feebee and Dr. Fox hurriedly join her in the boat Unikitty yanks back the reel with great force, sending them shooting off in Master Frown's direction. She spits the dust out of her mouth. Feebee takes Dr. Fox's hand to keep her steady. 

They threaten to just crash into the struggling Doom Lord before Unikitty slams down the stop engine button. The boat stops so suddenly in response that Unikitty falls to the floor. Dr. Fox looks around with a furrowed brow.

"We shouldn't have been able to stop so fast! Is this some trick by-"

"Help! Shut up! Pull me in!"

"Okay, no need to be rude."

Feebee and Dr. Fox lean over and pull a soaking, slimy, algae-coated Master Frown from the lake. "Thanks, losers. It took you long enough to save me." He starts using his robe to  _ attempt _ to wipe some of the algae off of his face.

"Can we push him back in," Feebee asks, "For just a  _ little _ bit."

"When we get back home," Unikitty assures her. "For now we need to focus on our plan."

"You idiots have a plan? Psh." Master frown looks up from his robe at the three of them with a smirk. Unikitty snorts and puts her paws to her mouth to keep from laughing out loud. The nose that Score Creeper planted on Master Frown's face is just a big, red sphere with nostrils. "What? What' funny?"

Dr. Fox cracks first, snickering into her sleeve. Feebee just kind of stares at him, looking more confused than anything. She soon pipes up with an important question, however. "What's funny? Is it just cause he's Master Clown? He's always a clown, yeah?"

Unikitty loses it. She slams a paw against the side of the boat. Her eyes water. "Master  _ Clown _ ," she repeats. Dr. Fox is struggling to breathe at this point. The audience joins in on their chuckle fest. Master Frown crosses his arms and huffs.

"You guys suck. He gave me a  _ cursed _ nose."

"It's not cursed it's just  _ silly _ ," Unikitty corrects.

"Well shut up about it! I'm not a clown!"

"You're  _ not," _ Feebee asks, confused.

"No! My name is Master  _ Frown _ , you third-rate florist!"

"I'm not third rate!"

A branch snaps somewhere behind them, making all four of them jump in surprise. Unikitty takes a few deep, purposeful breaths to stop laughing and calm down. "Okay. Still in a horror movie... Thing. Master Frown, we need you to help us beat Score Creeper."

"No."

"No?"

"No!"

"Master Frown," Unikitty chides.

"I'll figure it out myself!"

"It'll fix your nose."

"I'll consider your plan. What is it?"

Dr. Fox starts to explain while Unikitty starts up the boat again. "Score Creeper wants to trap us forever by making us  _ lose _ the game show." They start further into the lake, aiming to get further away from where they heard the branch break. "So! What we need to do is ensure that  _ all _ of us win the game."

"What, and  _ all _ go on a date with Unikitty?"

"That would be the safest route, yes."

"Disgusting! I don't want to date that pink fur-ball!"

"Well it's for our continued existence and not romance, so."

Master Frown groans. "Fine. But she'd better have me back by ten."

"On the dot," Unikitty promises, taking a break from steering the boat to cross her heart.

He nods, then plops down to sit on the boat's floor. "So what's your brilliant plan to get out of here?"

"What do you mean, Dr. Fox just told you," Feebee questions.

"No, I mean out of...  _ Here _ ." Master Frown gestures vaguely around him. "This horror campground thing. We're all in a group. We all decided on your gross plan. We're still here." He has a point. 

Unikitty turns to Dr. Fox. "I've been doing preliminary readings on the place, but this is magic. I do  _ science _ . This is all just... Glittering gibber gabber to me."

"I got nothin' either," Feebee admits, "Just been ruminating on how much I wanna knock Score Creeper's block off."

Master Frown rolls his eyes. “You idiots, we’re going to get _ killed _ .”

“Well, Frown, what did you come up with,” Unikitty asks before shooting him a glare.

“Nothing! I was drowning!”

“You couldn’t have been drowning the  _ whole _ time,” Unikitty rebuffs.

“I could’ve and I was.”

“Guys, guys,” Dr. Fox interrupts, “Listen. We clearly  _ need _ a plan. We should be brainstorming instead of fighting.”

Feebee slams a fist into her palm. “I got a plan.”

“No offense, Buzzbo, but I don’t think planting pretty flowers is gonna get us anywhere,” Master Frown says. “Like, I get it, you’re used to Unikingdom problems, but-” Feebee puts a hand over his mouth. She looks him dead in the eyes. Her gaze is cold. Master Frown stops talking.

“We need to get back to the cabins. Whatever the horror is we gotta confront it head on. Cause this is just _ part _ of the game, right? We gotta get to end of the horror movie.”

Feebee pulls her hand back from Master Frown’s mouth, giving him permission to speak. He doesn’t use it, instead electing to stare at her with confusion as clear on his face as his big red nose. Dr. Fox slowly starts to nod. “You have a point there, Feebee. This doesn’t seem to be a part of the game that involves elimination. We may not even need to survive it, since Score Creeper made it with his magic. You popped back together when we appeared here. We have no reason to believe that the same thing wouldn’t happen were we to be overcome by the magical horror waiting for us.”

“I for one am not on team ‘let the monster kill us’. Just gonna put that out there,” Master Frown interjects.

Feebee shakes her head. “I was thinking we hogtie it and throw it in the lake.”

“Whatever we’re doing, we’re not getting it done here! Let’s go,” Unikitty cheers, excited to progress. She revs the boat’s engine and sends them shooting back towards the shore. The invisible crowd cheers too. She chooses not to think about what that might mean.

Feebee points to a building amongst the cabins. There is a broken window in clear view and discarded camping supplies abandoned around it. “That’s the place, there. I call that oar.” They reach the shore and Feebee makes a mad dash for her desired weapon. Unikitty waits just a moment for the others to get out of the boat before hurrying along after her, hunting around for something to arm herself with. 

Dr. Fox calls after the two of them, “Guys, wait up! We need to stay closer together!”

Unikitty looks back at her and gives her a dismissive wave. “What? It’s fine! I can still see you!” She picks up a half-inflated soccer ball and practices hitting an invisible foe with it before setting it down, deciding against it. Somewhere behind the building she hears a purposeful knock and a low, growling laugh. Feebee holds her oar out in front of her like a two-handed sword. 

The invisible crowd manages to get together on an intrigued, “Ooh,” before they begin to cheer. There’s chanting that Unikitty can just barely make out because the crowd doesn’t  _ all _ get together on it. From different parts of the unseeable crowd Unikitty hears all four of their names. She’s excited for a moment before she realizes they’re probably cheering for who the mysterious baddie goes after first.

“Unikitty.” Feebee tilts her head towards an electric lantern sitting by the front door of the building. As Unikitty floats up towards it she finally notices the sign over the door that reads, “Supply Check-Out”. Feebee starts walking slowly around the side of the building, heading to the back. “There’s your weapon. See what you can hunt up for the others.”

“Feebee! You shouldn’t go after the baddie by yourself,” Unikitty insists.

“Well it’s the least I can do! I told ya I’d be prepared for this kinda thing and instead you had to save me from a  _ shirt _ .”

Unikitty looks between Feebee and the slowly, quietly approaching Dr. Fox and Master Frown. She gives her subject a reluctant nod. Feebee gives her a warm, reassuring smile. Then she hurries off towards her target with a battle cry. Unikitty picks up her lamp and opens up the door to the supply building. She has to dodge an avalanche of broken sports gear and climbing equipment, but comes up with an already broken wooden bat and a bucket full of well-worn baseballs that she hands off to Dr. Fox and Master Frown respectively. 

As soon as she hands off the bucket a loud crack rings out from behind the building. The audience’s cheers pick up. A sinister laughter erupts. The distinct and obvious sound of a tussle starts up. “Feebee,” Unikitty calls, concerned. She rushes the others along towards the back of the building, holding her lamp by its handle in her mouth. This proves to be a mistake when her jaw drops upon seeing the horrifying creature Feebee is facing off against. The lantern falls to the ground with a disappointing clunk and rolls away.

The creature is bulgy, rounded, and manages to stay together without the usual joints. There are loose hairs coming off of it in seemingly random places. A thick layer of staining bandages seem to be keeping the creature’s unfortunately bruised-peach tone flesh on. Feebee slams her elbow hard into what Unikitty thinks might be it’s gut. It laughs. 

Surprisingly, Master Frown is the first to jump into action. Maybe it’s because he just wants to hit something? Either way, he takes a step forward and starts chucking baseballs at the monster. The first one he throws is a miss, the audience laughs. The next one beans the thing right in the face. Feebee takes the opportunity to pick up the lamp that Unikitty dropped. She swings it in an arc to slam it into the monster’s side. Dr. Fox looks at her bat, then at the creature, then steps in and slams the splintered edge down on the thing’s foot. 

The audience cheers. The world goes blank. Unikitty feels a scream rise in her throat that she cannot let out. The sudden break from such intensity to absolute nothing is jarring, infuriating. She can’t remember closing her eyes, but when she opens them she’s back in her chair at the set. She struggles, but the bean bag still has its arms tight around her. Score Creeper stands in front of her, facing the audience. At this point many of the audience members are holding up signs with their favorite contestant on them, trying to convince Unikitty of who to pick.

“Welcome back from that campground most foul! Seems like none of our contestants threw in the towel. So, Unikitty, have you had time to think? Figure out which contestant would fit with your clique? Or have you decided no lovers are here? Do you think none of them were really sincere?” Unikitty keeps opening her mouth to try to get a word in, but can’t manage it. She feels dazed from the transition from horror movie to game show still. “Princess, guest of honor, who will it be? And if you pick no one, that’s just fine with me!”

She shakes her head to try to clear it. The audience cheers in its stilted, uncomfortable way. Miscellaneous members of the audience call out names, switching between the Termidating Game assigned nicknames and the contestants’ actual names. “W...Well. It’s a hard decision,” Unikitty begins, trying to buy herself a little time while her brain de-fogs. She feels ridiculous for it, but she can’t  _ quite  _ remember what happened in the horror movie part of the game at the moment. There’s just the three of them attacking that creature and then the void.

“Of course, of course. You don’t want to make a mistake. But do hurry up before commercial break.”

“Unikitty! What are you waiting for,” Dr. Fox asks in a panicked tone.

Unikitty feels something click into place in her head. She smirks in Score Creeper’s direction, even though he’s currently playing things up to the audience. “Oh, it’s just that all of the contestants seem so fun! I pick all of them.” Score Creeper turns towards her and snarls.

“Well, Princess dear, that’s just part of this game. Let’s see if your potential dates feel the same. Fuzzbuzz?”

“I’d be honored!”

He growls. The audience starts throwing popcorn at him. “Professor Mallow,” he asks, his tone short.

“It would be a wonderful experiment! Yes!”

The audience roars with cheers. Score Creeper’s hood flies back as his head flares up, flickering in sickening greens. “Jokes on you, Unikitty,” he mutters away from the microphone, “I had a plan for this! Your worst enemy will never agree to a date. Even if it would save his own hide.” He pulls the microphone back up to his mouth and asks a final question, “That’s two out of three! Lord Bingleberry?”

“Well, I think she’s really annoying. And too nice.”

Score Creeper grins wide. “Then it seems we-”

“Hey, hey! I didn’t say  _ no _ . We all made... A good team there. I’ll try a date.” It sounds like he’s struggling to get out the compliment, but Unikitty still feels that it’s sincere. 

“No! No, no, no! If none of you lose then the ratings will tank and-”

“Loser!” The audience begins a chant. They begin to converge on the stage, marching forward with two repeating frames. Unikitty shivers at their unsettling movements. “Loser!” They surround Score Creeper.

“I’m not the loser! I didn’t lose anything! You can’t do this to me!” Score Creeper’s flaming head flares up higher, but the audience keeps coming. They begin to climb him, surrounding the flame no matter how high it goes. Once they’ve completely covered him there is a resounding pop from inside the pile before all of the audience falls flat to the ground, suddenly inanimate. 

The arms around Unikitty sink back into the bean bag and she hurriedly flies over to check on her friends. Master Frown is feeling his face, making certain that the clown nose has gone away. Feebee is pulling Dr. Fox out of a pile of candy corn that suddenly disappears, making it so Feebee just pulls Dr. Fox onto herself and knocks them both over. They laugh. Unikitty breathes a sigh of relief, happy to see her friends safe and in one piece.

“So... How about those dates,” she asks.


End file.
